Easter's Over. Now What?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Great Easter Service
Thank you again to all of the volunteers that made that possible.
I heard great reports about Thomas last week and I had an awesome time with the teens. I know God has called me to be a Lead Pastor because youth ministry has become something like what I imagine a niece or nephew is like. I love them. I have fun with them. But I’m glad I can give them back.
Open your Bibles to Matthew 28.
Tonight I want to spend some time talking about what we do after Easter.
In the grand scope of time we live every day “after Easter” so I believe this message will not only be extremely applicable to this time of our lives but to every day no matter your age.
Ever been to a pep rally?
Remember what that was like?
Cheerleaders cheering. Dance team coming out to dance.
Flag twirlers. Football players looking tough.
Hype music all over the place. Everyone’s getting energized…and then what happens? You walk out and back to class or go home.
The energy around you is gone and now it’s time to execute on what you got hyped about. The football team now has to back up the smack talk and everyone else has to do their parts to make sure they win.
In my mind, which I know can be a scary place, this is where we are after Easter. And maybe directly after easter is a bad way to put it but 40 days later, Jesus ascends into Heaven with everyone looking up into the skies and that’s where we find ourselves.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Awaiting the return of Jesus and needing to go do the jobs that we are called to do for the proverbially victory.
So what do we do? Let’s go back to the first people to hear about the resurrection of Christ and see what they were told to do
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Pray
The first thing the angel says to them is
I. He is Risen
I. He is Risen
The significance of this statement can’t be understated.
The man you followed and believed he was the Messiah. The one you think let you down by being crucified. The one that you are coming now to care for. He is not here. He is Risen.
BOOM
This confirmed everything. Imagine their racing thoughts
The temple he was speaking about being destroyed and rebuilt wasn’t a temple it was his body.
He is not in the tomb…He is Risen.
He was crucified for our sins. He paid the ultimate price. He fulfilled the law. That’s what He meant when he talked about being the Lamb.
He was buried for our transgressions. This is what he meant when he spoke about Jonah.
He is risen as our living hope. We can see in
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
His resurrection is the ultimate proof of all that He said and did. What more do we need? He who was once dead is now alive again.
The ladies went to the tomb that morning to care for a corpse but what they found was an empty whole in the ground. The angle said “He is risen..”
Then the angel said
II. Come and See
II. Come and See
Come and see where he lay. Come and see so that you may believe.
These ladies did not need to come and see for they believed.
They had faith. They had heard the Word of God and are now in a position to choose whether to believe or not. They chose to have faith.
It wasn’t a blind faith either. We don’t have record of them looking into the tomb. Could they have already been able to see inside and not needed to walk over to it? Maybe.
I like to believe it’s not recorded becasue it didn’t happen. They heard and they believed.
The invitation to come and see or in our case come and hear must always be given. At some point someone in your life invited you to come and hear the gospel of Jesus preached.
Maybe it was in a one on one conversation. Maybe it was through a church service, maybe it was in a children’s class…whatever it was someone had to invite you to come and hear the gospel at some point.
That’s our theme for this year. Come and See. Come and see what God is doing.
Because of that, we are working at upgrading the property in small ways as well as in big ones.
-Lights in hallway downstairs
-decorations in the kids rooms
-nurseries remodeled
-stairwell soon
need painters
-carpet
-platform
-lights
-sound
Standard of excellence, first class
Sunday prep team -digital connection card
back to the bible
The ladies were told come and see and then
III. Go and tell
III. Go and tell
Go quickly and tell to be exact.
Don’t waste. You have seen, you believe, now go tell others.
Go and tell what?
These ladies were the first to go and tell the gospel
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Before Jesus went back to Heaven He said
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
When He said teach all nations…this is what He was talking about. Teaching them the gospel.
If they don’t know the gospel, then anything else about the Bible you teach them will be for naught.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
We must have the Holy Spirit of God residing in us. It’s through the indwelling of the Spirit that we are able to understand the things of God in His Word.
That’s why I preach he gospel every single week. As a reminder to all Christians and a means for those who don’t know Jesus to know so they can understand what is being preached every week
After trusting in Jesus they are to be baptized. Thankful for the 4 and the few I need to follow up on.
And then discipled.
That’s why we have discipleship. Because we are commanded to. 4 people got their certs he other day and I know of 1 that just started.
We have he discipleship/discipler class happening this next set of groups.
It’s my desire as Pastor to see everyone know how to disciple someone and for everyone that comes through our doors to be saved, baptized, disciple, serving, and sharing the gospel.
Connected to God, Growing together, Serving the Community, and Sharing the Gospel
So we know what has happened, He is Risen. We’ve gotten hyped.
We’ve believed the gospel, we’ve shared it with others…now what?
We keep sharing it.
But Where?
IV. Where?
IV. Where?
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jerusalem—> Bristol
Judea —> CT
Samaria ---> US
Ends of the earth —>missions
New missionaries
Nate Beil and Eddie Ziss
INFO ABOUT MISSIONARIES
So now what? What do you do with this info?
Tell others
Be involved
Give
4. Repeat
Time of Response
Time of Response